Washing machine with squeezer extractor



June 7, 1949. H. J. RAND WASHING MACHINE WITH SQUEEZER EXTRACTOR Filed July 9, 1946 lNvrrrcpR HEN R Y J. RAND ATTQRNEY Patented June 7, 1949 WASHING MACHINE WITH SQUEEZER EXTRACTOR Henry J. Rand, Fairfield, Conn., assignor to H. J. Rand Washing Machine Corp., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application July 9, 1946, Serial No. 682,322

14 Claims. (Cl. 68-21) Clothes which have been washed have to be dried. The drying operationin connection with washing machines has always been a considerable problem and many types of driers require a. good deal of time and hand labor. This has been overcome to some extent in machines wherein the washing operation is performed within a perforated cylindrical container within which the clothes are later dried during a spinning cycle. While this has proved quite satisfactory compared to prior methods, it still leavesa good deal oi water in the clothes and the machines are expensive. Spinning produces vibration and requires high speed operation, and therefore requires heavy, expensive construction and rigid, expensive installation.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple washing machine in which the clothes may be dried in the container in which they are washed, which machine will be economical to build and simple, safe, and eicient in operation.

with less vibration and less complicated and expensive construction and installation, and in which the clothes will have the water removed from them to a greater extent than in machines heretofore known.

A particular feature of my invention is the provision of a collapsible bag of resilient material such as rubber which may be evacuated to cause atmospheric pressure to press the bag upon the clothes to remove water therefrom.

material 1 such as rubber which is rigidly attached to the tub 6 at the top as illustrated at 8. The machine may be an ordinary washing machine of the oscillating impeller type, the impelfigure is a viewl or compressor 20. I have discovered ix. my experiments' that a diaphragm type of compressor ler being illustrated aia-9 and the mechanism for operating the impeller not being shown but being indicated by the shaft I0. The rubber lining 'l is sealed to the impeller shaft as shown at II to prevent any leakage of air or water at this point. The tub and lining 6 and 1 have openings therein at I2 connecting with a pipe I3 through which water and air maybe pumped in and out of the as follows:A

used for paint spraying operates very eiiiciently to pump both air and water and may be used for this purpose at 2l). The intake pipe 22 is made smallerV than the outlet pipe 23 to prevent knocking when it handles water. A compressor type pump is not necessary, however, and any pump capable of handling water, moisture vapor, and air .may be satisfactory.

The mixer, pump and washing machine are connected to one another* throughs. series of valves I, 2, 3 and 4. A clock and contact switching arrangement which is illustrated at 2| may be used to operate the valves in any desired time cycle. Mechanism for this purpose is well known and is not herein illustrated speciiically. In operation the cover I5 may be removed and the clothes inserted therein, a switch turned and the remainder of the operation be fully automatic by operation of the clock switching arrangement 2I. Soap may be inserted at any desired time by removing the cover l5 'and replacing it for further operation. 'I'he mixer ,IS may be set for any desired temperature of the water. The direction of flow of water or air through the pump 20 is in the direction indicated by the arrow from pipe 22 to pipe 23. To pump water into the machine, the valve I and 3 Will be opened and the valves 2 and 4 closed. The water will then flow from the mixer I9 through valve I, pipe 22, pump 20, pipe 23, valve 3 and pipes 24 and I3 into the rubber bag. Water and air may be pumped out of the bag by opening valves 2 and 4 and closing valves I and 3. The iiow will then be from pipe I3, throughrpipe 25, valve 2, pipes 25 and 22, pump 20, pipe 23, pipe 21, valve 4 and pipe 28 to the outlet.

A typical operation of the machine might be l First, a' soaking operation. For this purpose the clothes will be inserted, the cover I5 closed, the valves I and 3 opened and the valves 2and l closed to pump water into the rubber bag. Soap may be added, if desired, before or after the water is pumped in. The impeller may also be oscillated during this operation if desired to facilitate the soaking.

The soaking water may then be pumped out of the machine by closing valves I and 3 and opening valves 2 and 4. At this point, the machine may stop if desired in order to permit the insertion of soap for the washing operation.

The machine may then be restarted and additional water pumped into the machine by opening valves I and 3 and closing valves 2 and 4 and soap added when desired.

After a suiiicient period of washing the water may be pumped out by opening valves 2 and 4 and closing valves I and 3.

Rinsing water may then be added by opening valves I and 3 and closing valves 2 and 4 and after a desired period o time during which, of course, the impeller 9 may again be operated, this water may be pumped out by opening valves 2 and 4 and closing valves I and 3. As many rinsing operations may, of course, be performed as desired.-

Following the last rinsing operation and after the water is pumped out, the valves 2 and 4 remain open and the valves I and 3 closed and the pump 2n continues to operate to pull the air from the inside of the rubber bag and pull a vacuum therein. This will cause the rubber bag to collapse due to atmospheric pressureso that it may assume the position shown at I 6. The atmosphere will exert a very high pressure upon the bag forcing a great deal of water from the clothes. Also, because of the vacuum and reduced pressure created within the bag moisture vapors therein are readily released and drawn out by the pump 20, thus drying the clothes more effectively. For best results, the strainer should be as large as practicable, and for this purpose I provide perforations 29 in the impeller through which the water may pass. After the clothes have been dried by this evacuation step for a sumcient length of time, air may be permitted to enter the rubber bag by opening valves 3 and 4 keeping valves I and 2 closed, or by any other suitable means. This opens the rubber bag to the atmosphere from the inside removing the pressure therefrom and permitting the cover I5 to be removed so that the clothes may be removed from the machine.

As stated, all of these operations or any other desired cycle may be fully automatic by the operation of contacts on the clock 2| which operate the valves at the desired times.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible and I do not desire' to be limited to the disclosure as given for purposes of illustration but only to the scope of the appended claims. For instance, while the container 6 has been described for illustrative purposes as a tub, it is obvious that other frameworks will suitably support the bag 'I and while rubber has been mentioned as a satisfactory material for the bag 1 other materials which will make the bag air and liquid tight may be satisfactory. Furthermore, water has been de scribed as the washing liquid or detergent but it is obvious that other detergents may be used in this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A washing machine comprising a tub, a flexible airand watertight lining for said tub, an opening in said tub and lining for the insertion and removal of clothing, and airand watertight 4 closure for said opening, an impeller inside of said tub and lining which may be operated to wash the clothes, means for pumping water into said lining, and means for pumping water and air out of said lining whereby said clothes may be dried by the pressure of the lining against the clothes due to atmospheric pressure against the outside of the lining.

2. A washing machine comprising a tub, an annular flexible diaphragm within said tub, an upright impeller inside of said tub and said diaphragm for agitating the materials which are to be washed therein, said diaphragm being adapted to substantially surround said impeller, said tub having an opening, and means interconnected with said opening for withdrawing water and air therethrough and from within said diaphragm whereby said materials are dried by the pressure of the atmosphere against the outer side of the diaphragm.

3. A washing machine comprising a tub, a ilexible element, which is liquidand airtight, within said tub, means within said element for washing laundry, said element having side walls and a bottom wall of suicient extent to cover a substantial part of the bottom of said tub and to substantially wholly surround said laundry and said washing means, and means for withdrawing the liquid and air from said element to squeeze the liquid out of the laundry by the pressure of the atmosphere against the outside of said element.

4. A washing machine comprising a tub, a ilexible element, which is liquidand airtight, within said tub, means for agitating laundry within said element, said element having side walls and a bottom wall of sufcient extent to cover a substantial part of the bottom of said tub and to substantially wholly surround said laundry and said agitating means, and means for withdrawing the liquid and air from said element to squeeze the liquid out of the laundry by the pressure of the atmosphere against the Outside of said element.

5. A washing machine comprising a exible clement having a substantial bottom wall, said element being liquidand air-tight, means for agitating laundry within said element, said element including Yside walls of suiiicient extent to substantially wholly surround said laundry and said agitating means in conjunction with said bot-J tom wall, and means for withdrawing liquid. and air from said element whereby to squeeze the liquid out of the laundry by theV pressure of the atmosphere against the outside of said element, said last-named means extending into the upper portion of saidvelement, whereby the upper portion of said side walls rst will move inwardly while the laundry and liquid are still in the lower portion of said element to squeeze said laundry inwardly and downwardly. f

6. A washing machine comprising an element having side walls and a bottom wall made at least partially of ilexible material and being liquidand airtight, means for agitating laundry including an upstanding impeller within said element, said impeller being hollow and having a perforated bottom, said element being of sunlcient extent to substantially wholly surround said laundry and said agitating means, and means for withdrawing liquid and air from said element through said impeller, whereby to squeeze the liquid out of the laundry by the pressure of the atmosphere against the outside of said element and whereby to equalize the pressure Within said element adjacent the top and bottom of said impeller.

7. A washing machine comprising a ilexible ele- Iment which is liquidand airtight, a member within said element centrally positioned and upstanding from the lower portion of said element and formed as an agitating member for washing laundry, said element including bottom and side walls and being of suiilcient extent to substantially wholly surround said laundry and said centrally positioned upstanding member and to detine a washingliquid and laundry container, and

for washing materials, said element being of such.

shape as to substantially surround said washing means during the washing operation, and means for withdrawing the liquid and air from said chamber to dry the materials by the pressure of the atmosphere against the outside of said element and a vacuum created within said chamber.

9. A washing machine comprising a flexible liquidand air-tight element having an opening through-which laundry may be inserted and removed, airand water-tight means for closing said opening, an agitator disposed inside of said element, said liquidand air-tight element having side walls substantially encompassing said laundry and said agitator, and vacuum creating means in communication with the interior of said element for withdrawing liquid and air therefrom and creating a substantial vacuum therein whereby liquid is squeezed out of the laundry and discharged from said element by air pressure exerted against the outer surface of said element.

10. A washing machine comprising a exible' liquidand air-tight element having an opening through which laundry may be inserted and removed, an airand water-tight closure for said opening, means for agitating laundry within said element, said liquidand air-tight element having side walls substantially wholly surrounding said laundry and said agitating means, and means for withdrawing the liquid and air from said element to create a substantial vacuum therein and to squeeze liquid from the laundry by pressure exerted against the outer surface of said element.

element, said liquidand air-tight element having side walls substantially wholly surrounding said laundry and said agitating means, and means for withdrawing the liquid and air from said element and for creating a substantial vacuum therein whereby liquid is squeezed out of the laundry by pressure of the atmosphere acting against the outer surface of said element.

12. A washing machine comprising a tub, a flexible airand watertight lining within the tub, said tub and lining having an opening through which clothes may be inserted and removed, an airand watertight cover for said opening, an agitator within said lining for washing said clothes, and a pump for withdrawing the water and air from said lining, whereby said clothes may be dried by the pressure of the atmosphere against the outside of said lining.

13. A washing machine comprising a tub, a flexible airand watertight lining for said tub, washing means within said lining, said tub and lining having an opening through which clothes may be inserted and removed, an airand watertight cover for said opening, an opening to the atmosphere from said tub, and means for withdrawing the water and air from the inside of said lining, whereby said lining will be compressed .against said clothes by the pressure of the atmosphere to dry the clothes.

14. A washing machine comprising a flexible airand watertight bag, said bag having an opening through which clothes may be inserted and removed, an airand watertight closure for said opening, washing means within said bag, and

11. A washing machine comprising a tub open to the atmosphere, a exible liquidand air-tight element within said tub having an opening through which laundry may be inserted and removed, an airand water-tight closure for said opening, means for agitating laundry within said means connected to the bottom of said bag for withdrawing water and air from said bag, said bag being drawn inwardly and downwardly by atmospheric pressure to press against and dry said clothes.

HENRY J. RAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record'in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS `Germany Apr. 29, 1938 

